Nick Tavares: Patriots likely headed to Super Bowl

Sunday

Dec 23, 2012 at 12:01 AM

The NFL is something of a socialist establishment, an operation with a dominating authoritative structure in which its members all have a shot thanks to a revenue sharing program that spreads the league's billions to the clubs evenly. For such a rooted-in-America operation, that's a mildly funny dichotomy.

NICK TAVARES

The NFL is something of a socialist establishment, an operation with a dominating authoritative structure in which its members all have a shot thanks to a revenue sharing program that spreads the league's billions to the clubs evenly. For such a rooted-in-America operation, that's a mildly funny dichotomy.

It also means that the league, most seasons, lacks the dominating teams that checkered its landscape for so many years. But they still have a class of elite teams, and until recently, I was hesitant to group the New England Patriots in that group.

It wasn't long ago that, looking at the Patriots, I couldn't see any way this season would end in glory. Yes, the argument that they were better than 75 percent of the league was obvious. If there were money on the line, I'd take them over Cleveland, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, etc.

But the discussion with the Patriots hasn't been about mere respectability for more than a decade. The discussion is always in terms of ultimate triumph, about how many Super Bowl trophies Brady and Belichick will acquire before their tenure runs out. And with this team, I couldn't see the story ending with anything but the dreaded talk of "next year."

Now, a week after their first December loss at home in 10 years, I can't help but think that they'll be Super Bowl bound. Brady is still, at worst, the second-best quarterback in the league, the front seven of the defense is clicking and the secondary is finally pulling its weight.

The easy point of reference for the turnaround of a defense that ranged from passable to horrifying is the acquisition of Aqib Talib, and there'd be some truth to it. His presence at cornerback allowed Devin McCourty to move to safety, pushing some of the lesser defensive backs out, and freed Jerod Mayo up from having to always drop back into coverage to cover the gaps.

But that's not likely the entire story. Reports of Belichick taking a more hands-on approach with his secondary seems to better align with the unit's turnaround.

Regardless, last week's matchup of top-tier teams seemed to leave a bad taste in a few mouths. Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers ran out to a 31-3 lead by the middle of the third quarter, capitalizing on mistakes and generally out-classing the Pats in every phase of the game.

But the fact that they actually rallied, and within about 15 minutes made it a tie game has to make a New England fan feel good. They forced San Francisco to punt on three straight possessions while Brady hit his receivers on short passes left and right.

Ultimately, the 49ers found their bearings again, and digging a 28-point hole proved to be a little too much to get over. But where the Patriots of the past few seasons might have folded up shop in that situation, they showed a resolve that hasn't truly been seen since their 16-0 2007 regular season.

This afternoon, if everyone's actually on their game, Brady and friends won't have nearly as much pressure on them to beat Jacksonville. The Jaguars have shown some resolve recently, but a 2-12 team is still a 2-12 team.

No, this game, as well as their matchup with Miami next week, is as much about getting ready to cash in on their potential. I still question their ability in a tight game (how could it be any other way?). The receivers can slash through the slot as well as any, but they still get a little antsy in the drop department.

But, with two weeks before the playoffs, I like their chances as much as anyone. In a league where parity rules, they're as solid as anyone is allowed to be.

Nick Tavares' column appears Sunday in The Standard-Times and at SouthCoastToday.com. He can be reached at nick@nicktavares.com